Hydraulic expansible chamber motor with longitudinally extensible cylinder



May 18, 1948. R R AHAI/S 2,441,881

\ HYDRAULIC EXPANSIBLE CHAMBER MOTOR WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENSIBLECYLINDER 'Filed July 13, 1.945-

Patented May 18, 1948 f artisti UNITED STATES l PATENT UFHCE CHAMBER Mo-TOR "WITH #LONGITUDINALLY EXTENSI- :BLE lc :rLINDEIt Russell'R. Hays,Lawrencdflana ApplicationJuly 13, 1945,s.eria1No.i6o4,9e4 v 1'Tlisinvention'relatesito'well drilling apparatus and -more particularlytolimprovements in `mechanisms .for l cutting drainage vchannelstransversely to-q'a jmain -drill hole; being .in vpart `a continuationof :co-pending application A'Serial lNo. 633,371, for

a vHydraulic drilling device, 'iled/April 29, '1944, now PatentNo.f12;388,741,dated 'November T13,

lIn -the 'development `ora small, fexible; :hydraulically -operateddrilling tool capable `of 'being turne'd through -a 90angle near lthebottom of awellbore and of being extended laterallyfor cutting` drainagechannels 'inluid bearingstrata the improvements `.made have been of`twobasic types. Since the cutting head 'of Ythevtool 'hascareciprocating action,fit is evident that the vrate of cutting fmay beincreased 5(1) "byincreasing vthe number ioffimpactsl-per'second,:and(2) :by inoreasinglthe intensity of these'impacts. An increase in lthefrequency of the `head'is obtained by 1decreasing the turb 'lence'attendant i'to the passage-.of fluid through fthe engine :and *byKincreasing 'the frequency of 'the Valve throwimechanism. -Anincrease inthe'throwof the head is obtained by synchronizing the elementsresponsive to the valve Vfrequencyand designingthem with similarAfrequencies or fmultiples thereof in order-to setup-a stateiofresonance.

A The fmechanical problems involved. @are Ibetter appreciated ^`when itis realizedthat thefengines now b'eingitestedhave anoutside-diameter ofone inch,v operate under uid-pressuresiup to;8001# per `sqyinch, arelaterally ilexible sufficiently to be zzprojected iithrough a curved:passageway .having av five inch radius, and are capable. otstandingupzunder continuous operation. These-,conditionsfredulre veryuggedconstruction and the eliminationfof' small vsliding parts inthe movingelements since the latter Jhave an `uncanny habit offreezing-.as aresult. of tiny particles of labrasive material packing .between them,particularlt whenthe fluidstrearn projected against the face ofthe cutisrecycled.v Y y With these considerations in mind, the broad objectivesof the Acurrent v'improvements "in "such a hydraulically :operatedvdrilling deviceare z,

lfThe provision-cian improved method of mounting an exhaustport valvediscupon an adinstable tension valve throwspring to increase itsfrequency. t 2

r2. Thefprovision-:of ia .Venturi :shaped exhaust port and Venturishaped chokes in the fluid flow line to :reduce .turbulence of :the-supply stream duringpassagevthroughthe engine.v l

' 13.1, {I'hefprovision -of a pointed rubber lexhaust 4 claims. V(C1.121-48) valve face capable-of being-driven hydrodynamically into thebell of the exhaust port to `positively close the-port when the axes ofthe port vand the valve are -net inl alignment.

le. The r'provision kof an auxiliary expansion Vchamber loc-atedbehindfthe engine proper, and having the same natural frequency, saidchamber being 'actuatedby the :pulsations of the fluid supply column andsetting 4up a Vstate of resonance 'whichincreases the stroke `ofthe-cutting head.

5. 'The provision offan improved cutting head permitting thel-rapidflowof fluid through it and having -spiraled cuttingrteeth so that rotationof the 'head during operation isnot necessary Vincutting a`fullfhole,1said Yhead .also `beingshaped to pass readily 'through acurved passageway.

Ancillary objectives .such as easy assembly and adjustment off'thevarious parts ofthe engine will rbe made v'clearer .by the `followingdescription taken lin vcon-junction 4witlfi'the accompanying vdrawingsin which: Y

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sketch illustrating `the manner in whichahydraulicengine such as that embodied f' in this invention is extendedlat- :erallyffrornawell bore. Y

'Fig '2 lis .an-enlargedelevational view of the engine shown in'Figure1.

lFig. 3 is a longitudinalsectional view'taken on line III-IIIL-otl'igure21withparts shown inele- .Vation.- Y

Eig. 4 isla cross .sectional view takenion Vline `VT---LIVof Figure-3. 4

.Referring tothe drawings, `a string of ytubing ILTigure 1, Yis .-.runinto a Well'bore l until a footpiece 112 carriedby thetubing-liesrfopposite a i'luid bearing stratum .15, an anchor idextending fromthe bottom of ythe footpiece1|^2 to the bottom of the well andmaintaining Vit vat the desired height. 4A curvedpassagewayiiwithinfthefootpiece iZlis aligned at'its upper Aendwith'the center.v of .thetubing ill, :and 'atyits lower :end opens Iagainstthe :well wall sothatlthe high-pressure hose .IS Kcarrying the flexible drillingengine |78,.floateddown the'insid'e of the tubing -I lafter it and the .wellvboreliave'been lle'd with water, is forced :through :the `curvedpassageway SIS, Yand thus .projected at .right angles tov the iwell'bore for cutting -drainagelate'ral i9 into fluid bearing Vstratumy '1.5.

. ",The zdrillin'g,engineilwhich.is operated bya high-.pressure diuidstream` kcarried iin hose zli, hasfai tempered, toolzsteel .cuttingfhead2t ofrmore or-,less conical 'form,-the gsurface being grooved to -kforrnTspiral v.cutting .teeth 22 and yiluideexhaust channels 24 vso Yarrangedthat -the edges Yof the the water engine is fixed. The upper end of the.Y coiled spring 29 is soldered to the outside of the threaded ring SI,having flange 32 by which it is screwed on the threaded extension 34 ofthe anged nipple 33. A farther and smaller extension 35 of the nipple 33projects -downward inside coiled spring 29 and has secured to itbywire-36 the upper end of heavy rubber tube 45 fitting conformably withspring 29 and secured at'its lower end by wire 4'I to the extension 42of the exhaust port 40 carried inside drill head 20 and seating onshoulder 26,

When the throat 43 of the Venturi shaped exhaust port 40 is closed byvalve 60, the inside of rubber tube 45 is seen to comprise ya, closed,longitudinally extensible chamber which is laterally ilexible within thelimits of bending of the coiled mainspring 29, thereby permitting itsextension through passageway I3, but normally maintaining it inalignment with its initialV direction of travel. The exhaust port valve60 consists of a resilient rubber capV 51 of conical form screwed ontothe threaded extension 59 of the plug 58 carried by the lower end of thevalve throw spring 56. The upper end of compression spring 56 passesfreely through the inside 50 of extension 350i flanged nipple 33and isxed to the inside ofthreaded ring 54 which screws in- Y side of thecouple 33v to Vary the distance the valve 60 is normally held from theexhaust port 40, the hollow locking screw 'I2 serving to maintain it inthe desired position.

The resonance chamber 63 which lies between the main Working chamber ofthe engine I8 and the uid supply hose I6 isV identical with the Workingchamber in size and construction but has no valve in its exhaust port.It consists of a coiled spring 62 nxed atits lower end to the outside ofthreaded ring 6I secured on anged nipple 33, and iixed at its upper endto flanged swivel 64 mounted on shoulder 66 of coupling 65, the upperend of which forms anextension 61 to which the uid supply hose I6 issecured, and the lower end of which forms an extension 68 on which theupper end of rubber extension-tube 'Ill is secured by wire 1I; the lowerend of tube 70 being secured by wire 'I4 to the upper extension 'I3 oflock screw 12. Y

In operation the engine described is far more dependable and operableover a wider iiuid pressure range than any of the similar engines testedby reason of the exhaust valve arrangement. This valve is simultaneouslyresponsive to two diiierent dynamic principles. The first of these isthat incorporated inthe hydraulic ram and described in detail in saidPatent No. 2,388,741. TheV valve 65 being normally spaced or timed sothat its nose partially lls the throat of the ex-V haust port 43, actsto accelerate the high pressure fluid stream passing between it and theport 43 with a subsequent decrease in pressure which creates ahydrodynamic forceacting to positively seat the valve 60 in the portagainst the tension exerted by4 the `valve throw spring 56. With closingof the exhaust port, the fluid stream decelerates creating a shock wave,and subsequently the pressure in the line decreases to normal linepressure, whereupon the tension of the spring 56 pulls the valve 60 fromport 43 to open it, thereby permitting acceleration of the uid streamand repeatingthecycle.

The pertinent distinction between the exhaust valvesroperation at thistime and later resides in the fact that movement of the drill head andhlongitudinal expansion of the engine chamber 46 is not essential to itsoperation. Hence, even -if the drill head 20 -be stuck, the valvecontinues to operate and lafforce of considerable magnitude set up:through pulsation of the iiuid supply sftrean'imis` available to loosenit. With normal operation, however, the effect of closing theexhaustport 43 is to cause the accelerated fluid streamgto exert itsenergy in extending the expansion Achamber 46 against the tension of themainspring 29 and thus drive the drill head 2li downward. Since the port43 carries the valve 60' withit, this movement acts to increase thethrow tension of spring 56, with the result that it throws quicker andfarther fromthe exhaust port than would be the 4case were the positionof the Vdrill head 20 fixed.; This increased opening of the port 43 actsin turn` toY permit more rapid emptying of expansion chamber,V 46through the contraction tension of the encircling mainspring 29p1acedunder tension. during its expansion and further-acts to permit movementof a larger mass of ,fluid through the port in a givenperiod, therebyincreasing the hydrodynamic force; originally available to close thevalve 60 again;

From the standpoint of dependable and continuous operation, this valvearrangement is further advantageous in that iineradjustment of thetension ofthe valve throw spring 56 is not essential to its operation.This arises from the fact that if the valve 60 closes the port 43initially (and it normally does so -at fluid pressures below the normaloperating range), the hydrostatic head acts to extend the expansionchamber 46 until the exhaustport 43 carried by it is pulled far enoughaway from the valve 60 to set it into operation. Since the hydrostatichead exerts a` force lof considerable magnitude, this makes theenginedifiicult to kill through a wide range of feeding pressures, toorapid feeding of the supply'hose into the cut giving rise to a buckingaction of the engine .during which it throws itself clear of the cutinstead of dying.

A further advantage of this rugged valve actionV lies inthe fact that itwill .take off when the engine is twisted laterally. Even so, the enginewould not functionY properly were it not for the resilient nature of theexhaust valve 60 and the fact thatits tapered shape permits it seatingin the belled throat ofthe exhaust port 43 even when not in alignmentuwith the port. Many different types ranging fromball to needle valveswere tried before the 'shape'.shown and made of vulcanizedinnertuberrubber Vwas developted, VThis valve andthe use of-a valvespring 56 having thel Vsame frequency as the mainspring 29 but a smalleramplitude, used in conjunction with an expansion chamber 46 having asimilar fluid frequency are the essentialelementsin obtainingcontinuousoperation of the engine.- Since 'a water engine operated by the elementsshown and described, is capable 0f Wide adaptation for 'use where spacerequirements prevent the adaptation of more convventional types ofhydraulic engines, what is claimed is:

1. In a hydraulic engine, a fluid pressure supply conduit, a coupling, alongitudinally extensible, tension contractable cylinder carried by andcommunicating with said conduit through said coupling, a head carried bysaid cylinder having an outlet port for said cylinder, a valve for saidport inside of said cylinder, a valve throw spring xed to said couplingand carrying said valve, said spring normally urging said valve to anopen position with vrespect to said port, hydraulic means urging saidvalve to a closed position with respect to said port, said hydraulicmeans being stronger than said spring tension means when said cylinderis contracted, andsaid spring tension means being stronger than saidhydraulic means wh'en said cylinder is extended, whereby said valvecloses said port when said cylinder is contracted and opens said portwhen said cylinder is extended thereby intermittenly varying the uidpressure inside of said cylinder to cause reclprocation of said head.

2. In a hydraulic engine, a fluid pressure supply conduit, a coupling,la longitudinally extensible, tension contractable cylinder carried byand communicating with said conduit through said coupling, a headcarried by said cylinder having an outlet port for said cylinder, avalve for said port inside of said cylinder, a valve throw spring havinga smaller operating amplitude than the operating amplitude of saidcylinder adjustably xed to said coupling and carrying said valve,

l outlet port for said cylinder, -a valve for said port said springnormally urging said valve to an open position with respect to saidport, hydraulic means urging said valve to a closed position with'respect to said port, said hydraulic means being stronger than saidspring tension means when said cylinder is contracted, and said springtension means being stronger than said hydraulic means when saidcylinder is extended, whereby said valve closes said port when saidcylinder is contracted and opens said port when said cylinder isextended thereby intermittently varying the uid pressure inside of saidcylinder to cause reciprocation of said head.

3. In a hydraulic engine, a tension contractable cylinder, a travelingexhaust port, and exhaust valve hydraulically closing said port andtension inside of said cylinder, a valve throw spring having a frequencysubstantially that of said cylinder but smaller operating amplitude thanthe operating amplitude of said cylinder adjustably fixed to saidcoupling and carrying said valve, said spring normally urging said valveto an open position with' respect to said port, hydraulic means urgingsaid valve to Ia closed position with respect to said port, saidhydraulic means being stronger than said spring tension means when saidcylinder is contracted, and said spring tension means being strongerthan said hydraulic means when said cylinder is extended, whereby saidValve closes said port when said cylinder is contracted and opens saidport when said cylinder is extended thereby intermittently varying thefluid pressure inside of said cylinder to cause reciprocation of saidhead. A

RUSSELL R. HAYS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 42,979 Welham May 31, 18642,098,886 Saiord Nov. 9, 1937 2,239,298 Kraut Apr. 22, 1941 2,345,816Hays Apr, 4, 1944 2,359,147 Merten Sept. 26, 1944 2,388,741 Hays Nov,13, 1945 2,390,646 Hays Dec. 1l, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 333,276 Germany Feb. 21, 1921

